House Speaker Mike Johnson escalated the exchange of
accusations in Washington on Sunday by blaming Senate Democrats for the partial
shutdown of the federal government. Speaking during CBS's "Face the
Nation," the Republican leader argued that the crisis could have been
avoided if the upper chamber had passed the temporary spending measure pushed
by Republicans.
Johnson explained that the House of Representatives had
passed a bipartisan resolution days earlier seeking to extend government
funding for an additional seven weeks, to provide enough time to negotiate a
comprehensive budget. However, he accused Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
of deliberately blocking the proposal for political reasons.
“The Senate had the opportunity to keep the government running
and chose not to. Instead of acting responsibly, Schumer and the Democrats
opted for confrontation for partisan gain,” Johnson said during the interview.
According to the lawmaker, the Senate’s refusal represents “a calculated
strategy to blame the Republicans” and capitalize on the budget shutdown ahead
of the upcoming elections.
The House speaker insisted that his proposal had bipartisan
support and sought to ensure federal employees were paid their salaries and
essential services continued while budget negotiations continued. “Our priority
was to protect the American people from the consequences of an unnecessary
shutdown. The Democrats chose chaos over compromise,” he stated.
For its part, Schumer's team rejected the accusations,
arguing that the Republican initiative included substantial cuts and
unacceptable conditions that would have affected social, healthcare, and
education programs. In the Senate, Democrats maintain that the real cause of
the stalemate is the lack of consensus within the Republican Party itself,
which faces internal divisions between its moderate wing and its more
conservative faction.
Political analysts point out that the standoff between the
two chambers reflects growing polarization in Congress, where disagreements
over public spending, defense, and social programs have hindered the passage of
federal budgets in recent years. This new government shutdown threatens to
impact thousands of federal workers and delay essential public services if the
parties fail to reach an agreement in the coming days.
Despite the tense atmosphere, Johnson reiterated his
willingness to continue negotiations with the Senate, although he warned that
his party will not support "a budget that promotes uncontrolled spending
and fiscal irresponsibility." The Republican leader concluded by asserting
that "the American people deserve a government that works, but also one
that respects spending limits and transparency in the use of public
resources."
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